Polarized electromagnetic shuffleboard



Feb. 12, 1952 c. METZ POLARIZED ELECTROMAGNETIC SHUFF 'LEIBOARD FiledSept. 8, 1944 l h R.Z m m n kL m R m I M E m Q W 5 ma 2 m H h WV MW aFeb.- 12, 1952 c, MET 2,585,153

POLARIZED ELECTROMAGNETIC SHUF'FLEBOARD 53 W 30 INVEVNTOR.

i 5 f9 [KR/570191967? #522 Patented Feb. 12, 1952 POLARIZEDELECTROMAGNETIC SHUFFLEBOARD Christopher Metz, Baldwin, N. Y.

Application September 8, 1944, Serial No. 553,163

2 Claims (Cl. 273-126) This invention relates to improvements inshuflieboard games.

The general object of the invention is to provide an improved form ofshufileboard game.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shuiileboard gameadapted to coin controlled operation.

Still another object of the invention is to provide improved scoringmeans for shuiileboard games.

With these and still other objects which are apparent in the followingfull description in mind, the invention consists in the combinations andarrangements of parts and details of construction which will now firstbe fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing, and thenbe more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a shuflleboard game I embodying the inventionin a preferred form of embodiment;

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a wiring diagram.

The game comprises a smooth shutlleboard playing surface I, of generallyrectangular form and made of wood, plastic or other suitable material,over which surface the various shuilieboard disks 2 are slid by theplayers. The surface I is supported by the box-like structure or housingcomposed of the bottom 4, ends '5 and 8, and side walls I, which latterwalls extend up above the playing surface throughout the major part ofits length, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and carry a transparent cover8, of glass or other suitable material, so ,that the playing surface isdivided into a long rearward covered portion and a shorter forward openportion. The disks are placed on the forward portion by the player andpropelled along the playing surface to the other end thereof, the cover8 preventing interference therewith during passage along the playingsurface and also being close enough to the playing surface to preventedgewise movement of disks or overlapping of one disk over another. Aspacing, such as indicated, in which the clearance between playingsurface I and cover 8 is about one and one-half times the thickness ofthe disks, is satisfactory. The shuilleboard structure is mounted onlegs 9, shown fragmentarily in Figure 2, at a suitable height, generallyabout thirty inches. The far end of the playing surf-ace l is markedwith a scoring field l0, which may assume a va riety of forms, but isillustrated for simplicity as of rectangular form and comprising aplurality of square scoring spaces l I. Each space will normally bemarked with a scoring indication corresponding to the difficulty ofplacing and maintaining a disk therein, so that a player's total scoreis determined by the number of disks within scoring spaces and the valueof the spaces. As indicated in Figure 1, the disks 2a and 2b have notyet been played while the disk 20 is in a scoring space, the disk 2d isin a nonscoring position overlapping the boundary line of a space, andthe disk 2e has been slid too far so as to be in a nonscoring portion ofthe playing surface beyond the scoring field [0.

Automatic scoring means, as later described in detail, is provided andoperates a bank of lights I2 (Figures 2 and 3), the rear wall 6 beingextended upward to form a backboard for supporting the same and ahousing I3, attached thereto and having a translucent front M, beingprovided. The lights may be of different colors such as red and blue asindicated in Figure 3 and are separated from each other in pairs bypartitions 15 within the housing 13. As will be understood, thetranslucent panel I4 may carry suitable numbers forming scoring indiciain front of the lights, so that the translucent scoring panels indicateby red lighted numbers the score of one player and by blue lightednumbers the score of the other. Various other scoring arrangementsincluding automatic cumulating devices, and which are well known in theart, may be used.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, means is provided for returning disks tothe players and comprises a bar l6 movable back and forth along theplaying surface I underneath the top 8. The bar i6 is carried by meansof members IT, and rides in slots !8 of sprocket chains H, which areheld in position and operated by the idle sprocket wheels 20 mounted ona rearward shaft 2| and by the driving sprocket wheels 22 which aremounted on a forward shaft 23 and driven by means of electric motor 24.As will be apparent energizing the motor 24 will cause the bar IE tomove forwardly from the position shown in Figure 2 to a position abovethe sprocket wheels 22 thus pushing any disks on the playing surface outfrom under the cover 8 into a position accessible to the player. Returnmovement of the bar It to the position of Figure 2 puts the playingsurface again into condition for use.

Means is provided for registering disks in scor- 55 ing position andalso for differentiating between the disks belonging to differentplayers. This is accomplished by embedding in each disk 2 a magnet 25,one set of disks having the north pole uppermost and the other havingthe south pole uppermost. Below each scoring position is located a meansfor registering the position of a disk above the same. Thi means may beformed very simply and comprises merely a small magnet 26 carried on aspring contact arm 21 which makes contact with either an upper contact28 or a lower contact 29 according to the movement of the magnet 26. If,now, we suppose that the north portions of the magnet 25 are uppermostany such magnet will be attracted by a disk which is in scoringposition, if the disk also has its north pole uppermost, and will berepelled by any disk in scoring position which has its south poleuppermost. One of these registering devices will accordingly indicateany disks in scoring position and will also indicate the polarity of thedisks or the player to which'they belong.

Referring now to the wiring diagram of Figure 4, two banks of lightswith the lights of each bank being differentiated by the letters R and Bto indicate red and blue, are shown, it being understood that the numberof pairs of lights may be any number desired, only two pairs being shownas the connections of all pairs are similar.

Each pair of lights has a common connection 30 to a power line 31 fromthe secondary of transformer 32. lhe center contact members of armatures27 of the registering devices are connected through connections 33 tothe other power line 34 leading to the secondary of transformer 32 andthe red and blue lights respectively are connected to the upper andlower contacts 28 and 23's of these devices; Accordingly any disk inscoring position over a registering device will bring its armature 21'into contact with either the contact 28 or the contact 29 and willaccordingly close the circuit through a red or blue light in thecorresponding position on the scoreboard, depending on polarity of thedisk. Should a disk be knocked out of scoring position during the play,it will a;

cease to operate the armature 27 and its score will accordingly becanceled.

The device will normally be coin contrclled, any convenient known coincontrol switch being employed for this purpose. The common type ofswitch S1, in which the pusher of the coin slot closes contacts and alsowinds a small clock work which keeps them closed for an interval oftime, will normally be used, the clock work determining the time allowedfor a game. By means of a rod 36, or other conventional connection, theslide is also connected to a switch 82 which is conveniently of theordinary snap-action rotary type, the movable member 37 making contactwith contact 38 or 39, depending on the switch position. At (.1

the start of a game, this switch will normally be in contact withcontact 39, and will be moved over to contact 33 to establish connectionfor the motor 24 in the forward direction, this circuit leading from thepower line L1 through switch S1, switch S2, motor winding F and themotor armature, and back to power line L2. The motor 24 will proceed tomove the pusher bar 16 from the position of Figure 2 forwardly towardthe a oi position. This motion continues until the pusher bar reachesswitch S2, at which time it strikes this switch and rotates the contactmember so as to break contact 38 and establish contact 39. This cuts oilthe current for the motor in a forward direction and establishes acircuit through the reverse winding G or" the motor so that the pusherbar is returned to the position of Figure 2. The switch S3 is anordinary limit switch arranged to be open when the pusher bar is in theposition of Figure 2 and it closes when the pusher bar moves forwardlyaway from it. Accordingly, when the pusher bar reaches the position ofFigure 2 it opens the switch S3, stopping the motor. All parts are nowin condition for commencement of a game.

Power is also supplied for the primary of the transformer 32 throughlines 40 and ll and is controlled by the switch S1. Accordingly, thescoring lights will remain on until the timer switch S1 breaks contact.

What is claimed is:

1. In a shuiileboard game, and in combination, a playing surface havinga scoring field, and automatic scoring means comprising a plurality ofmagnetically actuated two-way electric switch means of the same magneticpolarity located below said scoring field, for detecting the presence onthe playing surface of disks of magnetic material differentiatingbetween disks of opposite magnetic polarity and controlling a scoreindicator ac-' cordingly.

2. In a shufileboard game, and in combination, a playing surface havinga scoring field, a plurality of switch means located below said scoringfield, each said switch means comprising a contact arm carrying a magnetin position for attraction and repulsion by a magnet located above saidscoring field, and upper and lower contacts, whereby the closing of saidupper and lower contacts may be utilized to operate score indicator forindicating scores diiferentiall ac'cord ing to whether the upper orlower contacts are closed.

CHRISTOPHER METZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 483,895 Buckley Oct. 4, 1892927,583 Nelson July 13, 1909 1,013,074 Schutz Dec. 26, 1911 1,605,703Brown Nov. 2, 1926 1,622,330 Mader Mar. 29, 1927' 1,866,821 Rather July12, 1932 1,906,260 Gibbs May 2, 1933 1,963,371 Butterworth July 31, 19342,048,275 Luse July 21, 1936 2,077,684 Gensburg Apr. 20, 1937 2,093,948Allen -1 Sept. 21, 1937 2,130,123 Ebert Sept. 13, 1938' 2,145,846 CannonFeb. 7, 1939 2,149,998 Jones Mar. 7, 1939 2,214,274 Glendenning Sept.10, 1940 2,226,885 Williams Dec. 31, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 817,921 France Sept. 14, 1937

